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LIGHT & LOCAL |
| • | Picture-perfect food |
Five weeks ago, I sent you readers a postcard from Russia. This time I am sending one, stamped with approval by my Web designer Joerg Alfter, from Bonn, Germany. The Germany native really enjoyed my Crock Pot German red cabbage recipe.
After a three-hour train ride from Warnemunde, Germany, we disembarked in the bustling city of Berlin. This place, like Hawai'i, is very cosmopolitan. You hear languages from all over Europe, the Middle East and even Asia. Instead of cars, they either bike or walk. Probably my most lasting impressions of the city was of the great contrasts between the old and sometime futuristic buildings. Remnants of history are evident everywhere: the famous Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and many other historic and modern monuments.
After a tour, we had lunch under the city's train tracks. The pub served a typical German meal consisting of bratwurst, red cabbage, potatoes and strudel. It was so delicious I had to come home and duplicate the meal. I gave Joerg a sample of the cabbage. The next morning, his e-mail graded the cabbage "Awesome!"
Joerg has come a long way from his home in Germany. He started playing the trumpet at 8 years old. By 10, he had his own studio. At 15, he moved on to piano. A musical collaboration with vocalist Sunway brought him to Hawai'i in 2006. Since then, he has been living and working here as a music composer and Web designer. His musical genre includes pop and film scores. Work has taken him to Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Luxembourg, Spain and Scandinavia.
Now he is working on several Web sites for international, national and local artists. When I asked what fuels his passion, he replied, "A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." From the distance he has traveled, and his history of hard work, you can see that he doesn't just talk his talk.
CROCK POT GERMAN RED CABBAGE
In a Dutch oven, saute the bacon until brown. Add garlic and onion and cook until transparent. Add cabbage. Dip apple slices in flour and add them to the cabbage. Add the vinegar, sugar, wine, orange zest and spices. Cover and cook in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours. If you want to cook it in the oven, put it in a casserole dish and cook in a 300-degree oven for about 2 hours. Before serving, season with salt and pepper and adjust the seasonings according to taste.
Serve with lean smoked pork chops (you can find them at Safeway), and small baked new potatoes.
Want a local recipe lightened up? Write Light & Local, Taste Section, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or taste@honoluluadvertiser.com. Carol Devenot is a Kaimuki-raised kama'aina, teacher and recipe consultant, and author of "Island Light Cuisine" (Blue Sea Publishing, paper, 2003). Learn more at www.islandlightcuisine.com.
